Berlin, Feb. 19, 2023:Ā Daniil Medvedev came from a set behind to beat Jannik Sinner in theĀ Rotterdam Open final andĀ land his 16th ATP Tour title.
A 5-7 6-2 6-2 win for Medvedev gave the 27-year-old Russian his first trophy of the year, extending his career head-to-head record to 5-0 against Sinner.
The run from Medvedev this week has secured his return to the top 10 in the rankings.
The former number one is now set to go up three places to number eight on Monday.
Victory came in sharp contrast to Medvedevās last two appearances at the tournament, when he suffered first-round losses in 2020 to Vasek Pospisil and in 2021 to Dusan Lajovic.
Medvedev said after his win: āThanks to all members of my team who are with me no matter what: some tough moments, some good moments, and we continue growing.
āThe last two times I played here were terrible, and Iām happy to make it better this year.ā
Medvedev and Sinnerās past meetings had curiously all come on indoor hard courts, as this also did.
Sinner won a title last week at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier.
So, the 21-year-old was not wanting for confidence as he looked to finally register a win over Medvedev.
The Italian out-rallied Medvedev at the end of the first set to snatch the vital break, but he could not ride that momentum into the early stages of the second.
An early break went the way of 2021 US Open winner Medvedev, whose remarkable defence was a key factor as the comeback gathered steam.
A double fault from Sinner handed Medvedev a 4-1 lead and a double break, nudging the match toward the decider.
When it came, first blood went to Medvedev as Sinner netted a backhand to give up a break in the third game.
The Moscow man saved a break-point in the next game to stay ahead, and that setback left Sinner sapped, his challenge fading as Medvedev maintained an impressively high level. (dpa)